The present invention relates to a method for detecting the position of a closure element in a changeover device of a dishwasher. The term “water diverter” can be employed synonymously with the term “changeover device”. The function of the changeover device is to distribute a rinsing fluid among various spraying systems or spraying levels inside a washing container of the dishwasher. A circulating pump is used to transport the rinsing fluid. A drive device driven by a control device changes the position of the closure element. The invention relates further to a device for detecting the closure element's position.
A changeover device of said type is known from DE 198 57 101 B4. The closure element's position is detected via a rotation-speed sensor on a circulating pump located in front of the changeover device. Said sensor is linked to an electronic control device that ascertains the valve body's position by way of the pump's rotation speed. Use is therein made of the fact that after the pump has stopped working, either regular running thereof owing to a quite small amount of fluid being fed into a lower spraying system or rough running thereof owing to a quite large amount of fluid being fed into an upper spraying system will be detected by the rotation-speed sensor by way of the ascertained rotation speed, then conveyed to the electronic control device via a corresponding control signal. Conveying of the pump's regular or rough running enables the electronic control device to precisely and reliably determine the valve body's position in one of two closure positions. What is disadvantageous about that embodiment variant is on the one hand the highly complex structure of the changeover device, because both the outer walls and additional elements inside the changeover device have to insure valve-body guiding. On the other hand, there must be at least one sensor in the region of the circulating pump. That results overall in higher costs for producing the dishwasher.